The Bleak Midwinter
by BoomChick
Summary: Three remnants showed up in the Norther Crater with nothing but weapons and the clothes on their back. It can't have been an easy camping trip to Midgar from there... *ONESHOT*


The prize for the first place winner of my art contest, which was held for the story A Brutal Teacher! Thank you, Rachel! I hope you like your story! 3 (To view this amazing artwork and much more, find FunkySockzLover. deviantart. com! Remove the spaces first, of course) Her prompt... Kind of wandered off topic. I still owe her a cute remnant camping story... I need to practice the concept of 'cute.'

The Bleak Midwinter

Yazoo hadn't stopped pouting over the blood in his hair the entire day. The freezing, snowy air had all but crystallized the rusty red liquid in the beautiful remnants hair, and his hands were stained slightly pink. The last water they'd found had been too cold for the slim remnant to do more than rinse his hands before he'd had to yank them out again, trembling head to foot.

Kadaj was still wondering how Yazoo had managed to get blood _inside_ his leather gloves. All three of them were rather well covered, dressed head to foot in leather. The only one with any real right to complain was Loz, whose top was loose enough that if he moved too much his well-muscled stomach was exposed to the snowy air. Kadaj made allowances for Loz's complaining about that. After all, it was only a problem because the eldest brother was carrying him through the three foot drifts of snow.

Kadaj gave a fierce shiver, reminded of why he was being carried. He sneezed, loudly enough that it echoed over the landscape, and his eyes widened in fear.

Yazoo's complaining came to a sudden stop, and he held very very still, as did Loz. Kadaj clapped a hand over his mouth, glancing around with wide eyes. The freezing air burned on his eyes, drawing tears to them as he watched the snowy mountainside suspiciously. After thirty seconds without movement, Yazoo let out a soft sigh and relaxed. His movement breathed life back into his two brothers,

"Kadaj!" Loz scolded in a whisper, "You already got buried in one avalanche, don't start another!"

"It's not my-" Kadaj had to take a break mid sentence to sniffle before finishing in a mutter. "Fault."

"Of course it isn't," Yazoo pronounced, giving his hair a light toss. "You can't help but give war cries while you're fighting. Though really, next time it would be nice if you took the enormous snow drift above us into account."

"Not like _you_ got s-" Kadaj blinked his eyes quickly, giving a little gasp as he felt another sneeze threaten him. The freezing, snow-filled air he inhaled quenched the feeling, and he let out the breath in a miserable sigh. "Stuck."

"Poor tenshi," Yazoo cooed, patronizingly and with no real sympathy. "Got to sit out of the fight in a nice chilly snow-drift. It's probably good for your hotheadedness. _I_, on the other hand, got monster-bits _all over_ my hair!"

Kadaj turned his face into Loz's shoulder, suddenly lacking the energy to banter with his brother. He hadn't felt warm again since he'd been buried in all that snow, barely able to breathe. It felt like he'd been under all that snow and ice for years. His throat hurt from sneezing and coughing in the frozen air. His muscles ached, cold and over-worked from fighting for an air pocket under the snow. His head was starting to truly ache, like someone inside was hammering on his skull, trying to get out.

"Yaz," Loz whispered, as though Kadaj couldn't hear him. "He's like ice, but he's stopped shivering. That's not good, is it."

"No," Yazoo said, his voice suddenly lower and softer. "That's not good at all."

Kadaj risked a glance, peering up from Loz's shoulder with bleary eyes. Yazoo had shifted to walk closer, shoulder to shoulder with Loz. He really did still have blood and bits of skin frozen into his silver hair and staining his pale skin pink. They and his green eyes were all that distinguished his face from the snowy backdrop. Kadaj thought he looked beautiful like that.. He wanted to tell him so too, so he wouldn't be sad about being bloody, but he didn't like to get mushy and emotional in front of his brothers. It wasn't at all grown-up or manly.

"We gotta do something," Loz whispered.

"We need to keep moving," Yazoo insisted, his voice lowered as well. "Find somewhere warm."

"Y'know," Kadaj drawled against Loz's shoulder, frowning at how stuffed up his voice sounded, "I can hear ya."

"Maybe you should get some rest, Tenshi," Loz said quickly, rather than answering.

"'M not that cold," Kadaj snapped, ignoring Loz's words in an attempt to cover his pride. "'An' I can walk."

"That wouldn't be wise, Tenshi." Yazoo's voice murmured suddenly much closer than Kadaj remembered him being. "You're starting to look sick."

"I'm fine!" Kadaj snapped.

Yazoo winced as the exclamation threw the youngest remnant into a nasty coughing fit. Kadaj clenched his eyes shut, blocking out the sight of his elder brothers' worried frowns as he hacked viciously into his hand, curling in on himself. An eerie rattling sound accompanied every cough, as though his lungs were shaking themselves to pieces. It hurt like hell.

He barely noticed when a hand as cold as his own skin touched his forehead lightly. The slim fingers rested there for a moment before pushing his wild hair back out of his face. Kadaj shuddered, gasping for breath dryly as the coughing fit finally ran its course. It left him drained and empty, without even the energy to open his eyes. He should have been too proud to let it have such an effect on him, but if Mother was there, she was silent. No one was going to scold him for giving in to the weakness that had suffused him along with the chill of the snow.

"Keep walking along this path," a soft gentle voice said by him, though Kadaj knew it wasn't addressing him. "Keep him close, and don't let him argue."

"Where're you going?" Loz asked, his chest rumbling against Kadaj as he spoke.

"Ahead," Yazoo said gently to his brothers, stroking Kadaj's stiff hair again. "Not far. I'm going to look for some shelter."

"No," groaned Kadaj, his head flopping back towards Yazoo, dangling loosely in Loz's arms. "Don' go."

"I won't be gone long." Yazoo whispered before pressing a gentle kiss to his little brother's forehead.

Kadaj opened his mouth to argue again, but only managed to cough again. By the time the fit finally subsided, Yazoo had vanished. Kadaj dropped his head against Loz's chest, groaning lowly in pain. The sound only made his throat hurt more.

"Shh," Loz whispered, holding him more closely, his arms burning with warmth against him. "Just rest, Tenshi. We'll get you warmed up in no time. Promise."

Kadaj couldn't help but take his advise. He was too worn to do anything but lie limply in Loz's arms. Loz had always been like a furnace-ever since they first touched one another in the Northern Crater. It had been a tentative, silent meeting. The moment both their captives were unconscious, they'd turned to one another, staring for long minutes that the faces that were almost like mirrors of their own. Kadaj had been the first to move-he always was. He'd stepped forward, closing the gap between the three of them and reached out.

The very next moment, his hands were met with the two strangers, as they rushed forward to his touch, like eager pets. And he, in turn, leaned into their tentative, questing touches, until they'd ended up curled together in a hug that was more of a pile. It felt better, when they were close.

Kadaj curled up more tightly against Loz, giving a soft sigh that came out with a shiver. He was lucky to have his brothers with him. He just wished Yazoo would come back soon. He knew the rattle in his chest would feel better with both brothers holding him. All this talk about warming him up was just silly. He didn't feel cold at all.

"Well?" Loz's voice rumbled like an earthquake around him. Kadaj curled closer, refusing to be shaken loose. "Anything?"

"Yes," Yazoo's voice replied, his tone hurried and brisk. "Just two ridges away. We need to hurry, his lips are turning blue."

Kadaj was going to argue with that-none of them had exactly rosy lips after all-but he couldn't muster the energy to get his mouth open. He lolled his head against Loz's shoulder instead, turning his face away from the cold air and into the frozen stiff leathers his brother was wearing.

"What'd you find?" Loz asked quietly.

"Steam," Yazoo answered, his voice almost drowned out by the roaring winter winds. "and melted snow. It's something."

"Yeah it is!" Loz said cheerfully. "You're the best, Yazoo!"

"Don't say so yet," Yazoo whispered. "Wait until we're out of this. Then you can call me whatever you'd like."

Kadaj found himself drifting as his brothers spoke. Loz's powerful, slow motions as he walked through the drifts of snow were peaceful, lulling him closer and closer to sleep. He was just so tired. He'd been hurt, after all. He needed the rest. He let out a long, slow breath as he sank towards sleep.

"Kadaj," a low, insistent voice called, "you can't sleep yet."

"'M tired," Kadaj managed to croak through his frozen lips. "Lemme-" He trailed off, forgetting where his sentence was going.

"Not. Yet." Yazoo said firmly, one of his slim-fingered hands joining Loz's on their baby brother's shoulders.

"We're gunna go somewhere where you can get some sleep, Tenshi, but you gotta wait," Loz added, squeezing him gently.

Kadaj gave a low moan, but forced his head away from Loz's chest. The low rumble of his voice had started to give him a headache anyway. Yazoo's hand shifted, stroking through his hair as they walked. Kadaj was entirely satisfied with the arrangement. They had previously been walking single-file through the snow, taking turns blazing a path for the others to follow in. Loz had been best at it, of course, but Kadaj and Yazoo had already learned better than to do anything that would set their eldest brother apart from them. It hurt his feelings deeply.

A suspicious sniffle hovered in the air around them. Kadaj breathed out a frosty sigh into the evening at the sound of Loz's impending tears. What he was crying about, Kadaj had no idea, but Loz often cried for little or no obvious reason. Despite the randomness of the emotion, Kadaj still shifted a numb hand to pat Loz's shoulder, clumsily.

"Don' cry," he whispered as he gave him another pat, his hand dropping limply back over his stomach once he had finished the motion.

"'M not cryin', Tenshi," Loz whispered back, pressing a searing hot kiss to Kadaj's forehead.

"Of course you are," Yazoo huffed. "You can't help yourself. Unlike some of us, you possess little to no self control."

"That's not true!" Loz argued instantly. "I do too have self control!"

Kadaj let a little smile cross his lips. Yazoo was the peace maker for a reason. He understood both his brothers as well as they understood themselves. He'd already had to play peace-keeper many times for them as their personalities clashed. Antagonizing Loz had quickly become his favorite method of getting their big brother to settle down from a crying fit. Kadaj wasn't sure if Yazoo did it mainly to amuse himself, or if it was just a lucky coincidence that he thought it was funny.

"Woah," Loz whispered suddenly, his voice no longer choked with tears, clearing as quickly as it had clogged. "Look at this, Tenshi!"

Kadaj couldn't resist the childlike glee in Loz's tone, despite his own weariness. He slanted his eyes open and glanced over.

Before them was an expanse of black earth where previously there had only been snow and ice. From cracks in the ground, gouts of steam were rising into the air, forming warm, low-lying clouds of steam. It was an impressive sight, even to Kadaj's bleary eyes. He yawned as they drew closer to the area.

"What's th' steam from?" Loz asked quietly, looking to Yazoo for information, as he always did.

"We'll know when you dig it up." Yazoo replied, a smug smile in his voice.

"What?" Loz demanded, indignant.

"I found it, you dig it up," Yazoo insisted. "It's probably not lava or anything. And it's not like a little heat will hurt you."

"But tenshi-" Loz argued, trying to use his little brother as a defense.

"-Is definitely small enough for me to hold onto while you take care of business, brother." Yazoo drawled smoothly. "Think of it as a chance to try something new with Dual Hound."

Kadaj glanced up in time to see Loz's eyes brighten at the prospect. The thought of getting to try out his strange weapon obviously appealed to their oldest brother. Kadaj didn't bother fighting when he was passed from one brother to the other. Though Yazoo's touch was far different from Loz's, it was in no way less comforting, and only slightly less warm. He yawned against Yazoo's shoulder as his middle brother sank down to sit on the heated black earth. He kept Kadaj in his lap, and Kadaj was glad for it. The air itself already felt like it was burning, and he wouldn't have wanted to be on the over-heated rock Yazoo was seated on. It must have been painfully hot. Which was confusing, considering Yazoo's placid, content smile.

"Warmer?" Yazoo asked him softly, pulling him just a little closer, so he was tucked close against him.

"'S burning," Kadaj muttered closing his heavy eyes once more. "I'm tired..."

"I had noticed." Yazoo purred gently, sounding slightly distracted. "You'll perk up soon. Go ahead and sleep a little. It looks like it will take Loz a while to figure this out."

"You?" Kadaj asked, even as he curled around his brother gratefully, wondering what his slim sometimes-lazy brother would do.

"I'm staying right here," Yazoo murmured, one of his gloved hands lifting to card through Kadaj's frozen hair. "And keeping an eye on you."

Kadaj drifted off with his hair being stroked, and his slim chest pressed against the dark leathers of one whose heartbeat mirrored his own. The sound of Loz's muffled cursing, and the hissing splutters of Dual Hound trying to spark barely reached his foggy mind, and even then only served to amuse him slightly. His slim form went limp in Yazoo's arms as he fell fast asleep, exhausted and blue-lipped from cold.

His dreams were quiet, at first. Distant hazy memories of Sephiroth, who was both him and not-him. But as he slept on, the dreams were invaded by a pervasive, creeping chill, as though there were frost outside eating its way in. He found himself shivering, standing alone in a cell, and knowing that Mother was in the walls watching him. Above him, the ceiling cracked, and as he looked up, fire rained down, burning his face, blinding him. He screamed in pain at the touch. Mother, disapproving, withdrew from the walls around him, leaving him alone as the fire rained down, splattering over his head, and shoulders and arms, burning everything it touched.

He woke abruptly, being held too-tight in vice-like arms, and a scream still in his throat. The burning hadn't vanished with the dream. He could still feel the fire all over him. He thrashed in the tight hold of whoever held him, but was not let go. He turned ferocious eyes to look up, and froze as he saw Yazoo staring wide-eyed not at him, but something past him. There was a roaring sound in that direction, and something that sounded like a series of whooping cheers. Kadaj turned his head slowly, startled as he felt the burning start to fade, and something wet trickle down his forehead.

The black, burned wasteland they'd stopped in was now punctuated perfectly in the middle with a deep pit, the edges cracked and damaged, formed from mighty impacts by Loz's fist. From the center of it, a huge pillar of white water erupted, sending a huge tower of steam into the air above them. Another whoop of triumph rose, through the air as a sopping-wet Loz vaulted out of the crater he himself had created and ran over towards them.

"Yazoo!" the drenched remnant called, letting out another whoop of triumph, "It's a hot spring! You found a hot spring!"

Yazoo's painfully tight grip on Kadaj relaxed at Loz's happy call, and he let out a long breath. Kadaj practically ignored the entire affair once he'd seen what was roaring. He was shuddering in his brother's hold, glancing down at the snow his brother was standing in with a trembling frown. How had it gotten so cold? He remembered being far too hot when he fell asleep, but now it seemed like there was a chill so deep in his bones he had never been warm in his life.

"What're ya doin' over here?" Loz asked from much closer than he had been before. Kadaj didn't spend the energy being surprised by that. His brother was faster than he looked.

"Kadaj started screaming when the water fell, so I got him out of the way." Yazoo murmured, his voice soft, as though trying to avoid having their little brother overhear him. "I think he was cold enough that it burned."

"W-wh-what d-do you m-mean c-c-cold enough?" Kadaj stuttered, brows furrowing in frustration as his chattering teeth refused to let him be coherent and his tongue moved lazily, making him slur his words. He felt so _strange_. A headache was starting to pierce through the numbness enveloping him, throbbing behind his eyes.

"Well, at least he's more himself," Loz said fondly, reaching out a burning hot, wet hand to run it through Kadaj's hair.

"Don't get him wet, idiot," Yazoo snapped. "He's just now warming up."

"But the water's _warm_," Loz argued. "So hah, I'm helping!"

Yazoo huffed in frustration, but started moving again, adjusting his grip on his shuddering baby brother, as though worried Kadaj would vibrate himself out of his arms. Kadaj glanced over at the tower of water, and braced himself for the burning to start again. To his surprise, when the first drop hit him, though it burned, it was far from fire-like. Too warm, certainly, but the heat of it almost seemed to soak straight into his skin, leaving the drop of water cool on his cheek. The geyser was already starting to wear itself out, smaller than it was before, though the plume of steam was still rising, and a slight amount of water was sloshing out of Loz's accidentally made pool area to slide over the rocky mountain slope, melting any snow it touched.

He saw the glint in Yazoo's eye a little too late to object, and before he knew it his middle brother was stepping forward to the edge of the pool, the warm water sloshing over his boots as it continued to flow.

"I-I'm n-not going in that," Kadaj objected, frustrated with his tremors.

"I beg to differ," Yazoo purred in response, pressing a kiss to his little brother's forehead.

Kadaj frowned at how strangely cold his brother's lips felt in comparison to the water. He looked back to Yazoo, glancing him over quickly, taking in the slight tightness around his eyes, and the strained edge to his usual fond, calm smile. Loz was behind him, practically turning cartwheels, though he was obviously getting quite cold as he did so, and was already starting to cast glances back at the warm water. Kadaj lifted a trembling hand to his lips, bit the tip of his glove, and pulled it off his hand slowly, starting when he saw the slightly off-color blue tint in his finger tips. He glanced up at Yazoo once more, noting the same slight tint around Yazoo's pretty bow-shaped lips.

"Oh, all right," Kadaj muttered, closing his eyes tightly and gritting his teeth. "Get it over with."

"Yes!" Loz cheered exuberantly, taking a couple thundering steps forward and leaping out into the water, his landing on the surface like a depth charge exploding, sending water flying everywhere.

"We'll go slow," Yazoo promised, even as the rain of hot water Loz's landing had created pattered down around them. "Just a little at a time."

Kadaj didn't bother responding, only cracking an eye open when Loz surfaced for breath, laughing manically. As he watched, he felt Yazoo shift, and tried to prepare himself for the fire of being immersed in that water. Instead, his middle brother carefully sat at the edge of the pool Loz had created, leaning Kadaj against his shoulder so that he could carefully pull off his boots, exposing Kadaj's frozen feet to the strangely warm air. Kadaj shivered fiercely, though more in unease than anything. He couldn't feel Yazoo's hands as he watched the middle brother carefully touch each of his toes in turn.

"You're alright," Yazoo reassured automatically as Kadaj shivered against him.

"L-Like you know," Kadaj muttered, swallowing hard, his mouth dry, and his heart racing.

Yazoo didn't respond to that. He only shifted Kadaj, carefully, as though his younger brother weighed nothing at all. Kadaj clenched his jaw, refusing to look away from the snow drifts he could see over Yazoo's shoulder as he heard the splash of his brother's feet touching water. Yazoo slowly eased him down, until Kadaj was sitting in his lap, but Kadaj felt nothing. There was a soft sound, almost disguised by the hissing steam rising out of the black earth around them. Kadaj glanced over, and gave a soft moan as he saw his feet in the water, steaming gently as the heat from the liquid warmed them. He couldn't feel a thing.

"They'll wake up soon," Yazoo murmured reassuringly, his long-fingered hand brushing lightly over Kadaj's cheek. "And then it will probably hurt, but at least you'll know they're still working."

"Wow," Loz commented as he swam over to them, the water clear enough that Kadaj could see he was still fully clothed in his leathers, even though he was completely immersed. "They must be real cold."

Kadaj scowled at him as he placed his enormous palms under the soles of Kadaj's admittedly dainty feet. The idiot was giving a dopy grin as he curled his fingers gently over the youngest remnant's heels, as though marveling at the difference in size.

"Loz," Yazoo scolded softly before Kadaj could object to being played with, "Kadaj is tired and cold. Leave him alone for a little while."

"Huh?" Loz grunted, glancing up at his baby brother and noticing his scowl He withdrew his hands quickly. "Oh! Sorry, tenshi."

Kadaj huffed, tilting his head downwards and turning back towards Yazoo, twisting so he could lay his forehead on Yazoo's neck. He felt his slender brother shiver at the touch, but his long-fingered hand found its way back into Kadaj's frozen hair again. Kadaj would never admit out loud how much he liked Yazoo's caring, petting touches, but he was pretty certain his brother knew without him needing to say anything. Loz hovered nearby for a moment before moving back out into the water, the splashing beginning again as he appeared to find delight in the warm waters.

"We should be moving," Kadaj murmured for Yazoo alone. "Mother needs us."

"She does," Yazoo agreed softly. "But in one piece, Tenshi. We're no good to her frozen."

"That's... I guess that's true," Kadaj murmured, shifting just a little, wincing as a stab of pain reached him from his numbed feet.

"So let's thaw out," Yazoo murmured, stroking Kadaj's hair gently again, the motion smooth and affectionate. "We'll start moving again as soon as the sun rises and we can do it without Loz freezing solid from getting his clothes wet."

"Stupid Loz," Kadaj murmured, hunching his shoulders a little and closing his eyes. He was starting to be able to feel his feet again, and Yazoo had been right. It hurt.

"Shh," his thin, beautiful brother whispered. "Rest. We'll stay here the night. Loz and I will handle everything, Tenshi. Mother will be back in the morning. You'll see."

"I can't mess up again, Yazoo," Kadaj whispered back. "I can't fail her again. It'd kill me."

"You won't," Yazoo whispered. "You won't. Loz and I won't let you. You're the best of us, Kadaj. We'll follow you anywhere."

"Good," Kadaj whispered, tilting his head against Yazoo's shoulder and letting sleep capture him and draw him away from the pain of his re-heating body. "Good."

Kadaj only woke up once that night. He blinked his eyes open, and saw only black. Another blink, and he realized that was because he was staring at a leather coat, which had been draped over him like a blanket. All around him was warm, though his side that was facing upward was the coldest of them. Even the ground was warm. He nuzzled into it briefly, turning his head to check either side of himself.

On his right, Loz was snoring, pressed close against him, one arm wrapped lazily around Kadaj's middle. He was completely out of it, and bare chested, having finally taken off his sopping leather vest. Kadaj twisted to glance back behind himself. Yazoo was there, pressed against him warmly. His eyes were open, gazing at Kadaj warmly.

"Sleep, little brother," Yazoo whispered.

"All my pieces still there?" Kadaj whispered roughly, his head tilted back to watch Yazoo carefully.

"Every one. Don't fret, tenshi. I told you I would look after you."

"You and Loz," Kadaj whispered before yawning hugely. "You're both the best... The very best brothers." He reached back clumsily, petting Yazoo's bared side, smiling faintly as he realized Yazoo had cast off his own coat to make sure Kadaj was well covered. "Love you both."

"And we love you," Yazoo whispered. "More than anything, Kadaj. Now please, sleep."

Kadaj curled up more tightly between his brothers, and felt them press closer in return. In a pile of limbs, finally feeling warm again, the three of them tangled together for one night of deep sleep before everything changed yet again.


End file.
